Ymca

The girl opened her mouth wide, eyes wider and plunged backward into the unknown. Angelina Clark, 9, tumbled over the large, round cushion and ended upside-down. The YMCA volunteer at the other side ensured her safe landing. Her mom was elsewhere, likely hearing about how best to help her daughter avoid tooth decay or how they can keep her risk of developing allergies low. This was the yin and yang of the Burbank Y's annual Kids Day event, which helps parents mentor, teach and raise healthy children while also providing the means for those children to plunge headlong into the high-energy activities of youth.

Laura Sturza MEDIA CITY CENTER -- Erika Marquet is a people person. Her job at the YMCA gives the developmentally disabled 23-year-old a chance to talk and joke with members while keeping the gym sparkling clean. "I enjoy working in the exercise rooms and someday, I want to work in the day care center with the little kids," Marquet said. She is part of a three-person crew that takes pride in contributing to the work force through Work Training Programs, Inc. The nonprofit group offers job opportunities for developmentally disabled people who would not normally be considered for traditional employment.

Jenna Bordelon BURBANK -- An initial meeting between a man later convicted of child molestation and the Burbank Young Men's Christian Assn. led nowhere, YMCA officials said. Ronald Kurtz, 60, the former leader of the Dolphin Club -- a boy's adventure organization -- tried to reaffiliate with the YMCA months before he was arrested in December 1999 on suspicion of fondling a boy. The club had not been affiliated with the YMCA for about nine years.

As 9-year-old Dylan Yanke ran laps inside a small YMCA room on the second floor of the Burbank community building, his flapping, sweaty blond hair and tired eyes betrayed his exhaustion. He raced around small plastic dots on opposite ends of the floor, determined to finish six laps with a small group of elementary school students finishing with a high-five from instructors and words of encouragement from others. Dylan is one of seven 8- to 10-year-old students from Burbank area elementary schools who are considered overweight and are members of the YMCA’s inaugural Healthy Initiatives Program.

Officer honored as he retires Det. Greg Campbell, who was shot in 2003 during the same incident that took the life of Officer Matthew Pavelka, was honored Tuesday night by the Burbank City Council and more than 30 Burbank police officers. Campbell retired from the department Tuesday. In November 2003, Campbell was shot several times during a routine traffic stop, where Pavelka was shot and killed. On Tuesday, Mayor Marsha Ramos honored Campbell with a police star proclamation, and dozens of officers and supporters looked on from the audience.

I was delighted to observe that the Burbank City Council is now in favor of providing generous loans to nonprofit organizations with financial difficulties. This could not come at a better time. Many of us who work in the television and motion picture industry are exploring the idea of forming a nonprofit relief organization to provide assistance to the thousands of workers who have lost their jobs due to the writers strike and other recent management decisions. It’s exciting to know that we can look forward to the same considerations and enthusiastic support and attention from the Burbank City Council that the YMCA has recently received (“YMCA vote postponed,” Sept.

Molly Shore Local children will receive passports to adventure Saturday when they participate in the second annual Burbank Family YMCA's Healthy Kids Day. At the end of the day's events, individual passports and Character Counts cards will be redeemable for "goodie bags" filled with water bottles, bubble pens, exercise activity booklets, nutrition activity workbooks and more, YMCA spokeswoman April Houle said....

Hordes of hungry participants circled some of the city?s tastiest fare Thursday while also providing assistance to those who hope to join the YMCA. Taste of Downtown Burbank showcased samples from more than 30 restaurants, including Buffalo Wild Wings and Crepe Maker, and debuted items as the Beer & Wine Garden on the AMC Walkway offered samples of brews and wines. Families strolled the walkways while others took part in special ?Dine and Unwind? packages, in which local hotels offered one-night stays, two tickets to the event and a complimentary one-hour Swedish massage at Ra Organic Spa.

The girl opened her mouth wide, eyes wider and plunged backward into the unknown. Angelina Clark, 9, tumbled over the large, round cushion and ended upside-down. The YMCA volunteer at the other side ensured her safe landing. Her mom was elsewhere, likely hearing about how best to help her daughter avoid tooth decay or how they can keep her risk of developing allergies low. This was the yin and yang of the Burbank Y's annual Kids Day event, which helps parents mentor, teach and raise healthy children while also providing the means for those children to plunge headlong into the high-energy activities of youth.

The Burbank YMCA, in collaboration with the city and Nickelodeon, is hosting a three-day hackathon - called Game+Hack 2014 - this weekend for computer programmers with ideas for mobile applications. From May 2 to 4, participants will be teamed up with mentors from the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, DreamWorks, Sony and Warner Bros. to build creative mobile applications in four categories - youth development, healthy living, social responsibility and open creativity, according to Burbank YMCA officials.

The Burbank Community YMCA is slated to unveil next week its $1-million renovation, which includes upgrades to its aquatics center, pool and gym. On Wednesday, the public can join the center in celebrating 90 years in Burbank, along with the renovations. A ribbon-cutting ceremony is slated to take place at 1:45 p.m. at the Y, which is located at 321 E. Magnolia Blvd. Two-time Olympic swimming gold medalist Cathy Ferguson, along with Burbank Mayor Emily Gabel-Luddy, will host the event.

According to the American Caloric Control Council (yes, there really is such a thing), the average American consumes more than 4,500 calories and 229 grams of fat on Thanksgiving Day. While, for many, the only exercise they get to work off that feast is clicking the remote back and forth between football games, for more than 2,300 members and supporters of the Burbank Community YMCA, some serious preemptive calorie burning took place this past Thanksgiving...

The Burbank Community YMCA launched the Community Campaign phase of its “Strong Today, Stronger Tomorrow” Capital Campaign on Thursday, March 7, at the Colony Theatre. The goal is to raise funds to enhance the facility and programs at the Y, officials said. “I'm excited that our volunteers are confident in our ability to meet this aggressive goal of raising $300,000,” said JC Holt, chief executive officer. “The benefits to the Burbank community are much greater than the dollars raised.

Harlem Globetrotters teammates Herbert Lang, aka “Flight Time,” and Nate “Big Easy” Lofton generated a lot of excitement in December when they stopped by the Burbank Community YMCA to shoot a breast cancer awareness video and entertain some of the kids from the Child Development Center with their basketball skills. In fact, the YMCA and basketball have a storied history, said Susan Sebastian, senior director of membership and communication, who adds that the sport was invented at a YMCA more than 120 years ago. On a gloomy December morning, a young physical education teacher named James Naismith had a few weeks to come up with a new game to attract the football and rugby-loving-class of future of YMCA directors.

Family Service Agency supporters recognized City Manager Mike Flad for his commitment to the city he grew up in and his sense of humor during the annual Imagine a City Gala held at Providence High School on Nov. 3. Flad has taken a job as city manager of South Gate and the Family Service gala was a chance for friends to wish him the best in the future. He received the agency's Mary Alice O'Connor Vision Award named for a beloved volunteer who gave 66 years of her life to supporting many organizations in town.

A group of Burbank Community YMCA members is crying foul over decisions to curtail full-contact karate and boxing, while at the same time refusing to loosen policies to allow underprivileged, at-risk youth to participate without being members. The claims, aired publicly in recent weeks in letters to the City Council and other groups, have been targeted at Chief Executive JC Holt and the nonprofit's board of directors, who have chalked the complaints up to a small band of disgruntled people affiliated with a select set of programs within the YMCA.

Glendale YMCA officials are hosting a blood drive in commemoration of the Armenian genocide. Organizers say it's a way to bring the community together while continuing a tradition of saving lives. The blood drive will be from 1 to 7 p.m. Thursday at the Glendale YMCA's Youth Fitness Center, 130 N. Louise St. Walk-ins are welcome, but for appointments, call (818) 240-4130, ext. 34 or visit www.redcrossblood.org and enter sponsor code ANCGlendale. To give blood, one must be at least 16 years old and weigh 110 pounds.